Saints' Jenkins playing critical role on defense

New Orleans Saints cornerback Malcolm Jenkins (27) celebrates a stop in the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2010. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)
— AP

New Orleans Saints cornerback Malcolm Jenkins (27) celebrates a stop in the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2010. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)
/ AP

METAIRIE, La. 
Malcolm Jenkins need not worry about his job security any time soon.

Injuries have forced the Saints to play the second-year defensive back at multiple spots - from safety to cornerback to nickel back - and Jenkins has won his coaches' confidence at every turn.

"The one thing you want is, you want him on the field," coach Sean Payton said Wednesday. "He's playing at a level where we need to make sure, whether it's in the nickel or it's in the base, that he's out there."

Drafted 14th overall in 2009, Jenkins started his NFL career at cornerback, the position in which he thrived at Ohio State. As a rookie, he was a special teams regular who had to earn whatever defensive snaps he could get, usually as the fifth or sixth defensive back in obvious passing situations.

During the offseason, the Saints decided to turn Jenkins into a free safety, believing that at 6-feet, 204 pounds, he was well suited for it. The change also gave Jenkins a chance to compete for a starting job on opening day because last year's starter, Darren Sharper, had offseason knee surgery and went into the season on the physically-unable-to-perform list.

However, in Week 7, the same week Sharper returned to practice, New Orleans' secondary was so banged up that coaches asked Jenkins to start playing more at nickel and cornerback again. Starting cornerbacks Tracy Porter (left knee) and Jabari Greer (left shoulder) were out. Meanwhile, nickel back Randall Gay had been placed on injured reserve after symptoms from an early season concussion returned.

Then early in Sunday night's victory over Pittsburgh, rookie cornerback Patrick Robinson hurt his ankle, meaning Jenkins would be at cornerback on every down.

"This year I have a better feel for the game. I understand it a little more. I understand the defense a lot better, so I think that helps me move to different positions," Jenkins said. "But at the same time, I was a little uncomfortable just because everything you look at is different. The way you see the game is different from a corner and being at safety, so I just had to get my eyes right."

The major difference, Jenkins said, is that a safety makes the defensive calls and has to know when to give help to cornerbacks. Cornerbacks, meanwhile, rely on the safety for the play calls, often have their backs to the play and must know when safety help is coming.

"People don't understand how tough it is to start off the year at safety and then move to cornerback," said Sharper, who briefly made a similar switch early in his career. "It's two different things you're looking at. Only guys who understand the game and guys that are athletic and versatile as he is are able to make those switches."

Apparently, Jenkins' eyes were right where they needed to be against the Steelers, particularly on a critical fourth-down pass he broke up in the third quarter when Pittsburgh, down only 6-3, had driven into Saints territory.